Moments of impact
by ZanderXX
Summary: "I have a theory about these moments that change you're life forever." Harry's at the forbidden forest and Voldemort's ready to kill him, but before he does, Harry recalls certain memories of his life. DH H/Hr One-shot


_**I don't know why, but I was watching The Vow AND HP DH p2 at the same time. Don't judge me... I know it's kind of wierd. But I don't know, I really loved what Channing Tatum's character says about the moment of impact, so I thought of this.**_

_**I tried making it from Harry's POV in this one. **__**Hope you like it.**_

_**I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. They belong to the wonderful J.K Rowling.**_

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_Moments of impact_

_"Life's all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever," –The Vow_

Pain.

Utter pain spreading through my very bones.

That's the only thing I could feel in that moment, while I walked through the trees, my fists tightly closed together. But it was a different kind of pain; it was physical and mental, and unbearable. It was ten times worse than a crucio, and it was blinding me, all my senses fading while the pain crushed me inside out.

I was scared and that was the source of my pain; I was scared for my inevitable and impending death.

After watching Snape's memories in the pensive, everything had been plain clear to me. I had to die, I was the Horcrux Voldemort never planned to make, the one Voldemort had to kill so he could be finished once and for all. At first it had been surprising, I had innocently believed that I could actually make it out alive of this war. But then again, fate always plays dirty, and of course it had intended a very short future for me.

I was glad, though, that if I sacrificed my own life, then others could live theirs, long and peaceful ones. It was worth it.

Anyways, it didn't mean I wasn't scared. Even though Sirius had assured me that it was quicker than falling asleep, it was just terrifying, knowing that you would close your eyes and would never open them again. I was thankful that my family was there walking along with me through the forbidden forest, making me company as I marched to my enemy. Though I could not see them, I knew they were with me; mum, dad, Sirius, Remus, I could feel them around me, they would stay close until the very end, as they had promised.

As I slowly walked, my tired feet already complaining, I could not stop the thought of how grateful I was for those special moments I had lived and for all the special people I had met. The combination of both had made me the person I was, the proud and brave young wizard walking to his own death, ready to give up all. Although I did regret not being able to fulfill my dreams of starting a family, and see children and grandchildren grow while I myself grew old with the person I loved the most.

I would miss that, I would miss that chance. I would miss so many things and so many people- my friends, my family; Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, the twins, the whole Wesley clan, and so many others.

But apart from them all, Hermione was the one person I would have whished could be by my side then, so I could see her bright brown eyes and listen to her soft voice before falling into that infinite darkness everyone feared.

_I'll go with you…_ I heard inside my head and it sounded so real that I actually had to turn to make sure she was not behind me, fallowing my steps; but it couldn't be, I had made sure Ron stopped her in time. I wanted her to have that chance of growing old and have a family and be loved, just be happy.

I instantly remembered the first kiss we shared, just weeks before we appeared in Hogwarts and a few days after Ron had left that tent and a broken young man and woman behind. I had attempted to make Hermione feel better, just make her forget about everything for a few minutes, and free her mind of her frightened thoughts. It had been a silly and simple dance shared between two best friends to the sound of that slow _muggle_ music, and at the same time it had been so much more. In that moment, right after we broke our embrace, our faces just inches apart, that's when I realized how much she meant to me. But what amazed me most, while I stared at her beautiful face, was the look of pure love that I saw in her eyes, the same exact look that was reflected in mine.

That's one moment of impact I treasure the most.

I have a theory about them, about moments of impact; those moments that change you and bring some light shattering truth to life, the moment when you know you're right where you belong. My theory is that these moments of impact, these flashes of high intensity that completely turn our lives upside down actually end up defining who we are. The thing is each one of us is the sum total of every moment that we've ever experienced with all the people we've ever known. And it's these moments that become our history. Like our own personal greatest hits of memories that we play and replay in our minds over and over again.

A series of aching moments repeated inside my head, then, moments that had changed my life completely. First my mother, desperately trying to escape with her baby from that cloaked figure in its attempt to finish the only thing that threatened its existence. Then Sirius, falling once again over the veil, and disappearing from his Godson's sight. Cedric was last, his lifeless body over the dry grass at Little Whinging Cemetery after a green shaft of light impacted against him.

Afterward, I remembered happier times, like when Hermione hugged me, her small form running inside the Great Hall right after she was unpetrified, fallowed by her cries of _'You solved it, you solved it!'_. I saw my mum and dad, just smiling down at me from the other side of the Mirror of Erased, and then Sirius embracing me at Grimmauld Place. I remembered just laughing with Ron and Hermione at different times, in first, third, fourth year, amused about silly things, Hermione's laughter echoing through my ears.

One moment, that's all it takes. That's all it takes for you to see the world differently, feel different things, question things, change the value of things. One moment... that's all it takes to change us as a person and change the course of our lives forever. Some are small, some are big, some are tragic and some are overwhelmingly happy. In the end they all add up and ultimately define you and the life you have lived. The end is the greatest part of the story, the end is the defining moment of all the moments you've ever had.

This was my end.

Moments had leaded me into it but ultimately there's always a choice, right and wrong ones. Everything in my life, every choice I had ever made, every decision I had ever taken, had leaded me to that very moment, my last moment in earth. Harry Potter's last moment in this world.

"No sign of him, My Lord," I heard a voice saying loudly.

That's when I entered the small clearing surrounded by large trees, everything and everyone immersed in a gloomy darkness. All faces turned toward me once my presence was known, even Hagrid who immediately called my name, desperate. "Harry? No! What are you doing here?"

Voldemort's features showed just delight at the sight of his enemy voluntary walking to his imminent death.

"Harry Potter," he quietly said, while he slowly lifted his wand. "The Boy Who Lived, came to die…"

I closed my eyes and it was like everything stopped around me, even my own heart. I was in the train in our way to Hogwarts again, Ron sitting right beside me taking out his wand to show me a simple spell to turn his rat yellow. I was so esited to already get to Hogwarts, to finaly meet this world I had been recently introduced to. Ron had asked me if he could stay in the same compartment and now we were both eating candies and chocolates, suddenly interrupted by the door being opened to give space to this bushy-haired girl who claimed to be looking for a toad.

"Holly cricket! You're Harry Potter!"

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

"I'm Hermione Granger."

The moment of impact. The moment of impact proves potential for change. It has ripples effects far beyond what we can predict. Sending some particles crashing together, making them closer than before, while sending others spinning off into great ventures, and landing them where you've never thought you've found them. That's the thing about moments like these. You can't, no matter how hard you try, controlling how it's gonna affect you. You just gotta let the colliding part goes where they may, and wait, for the next collision.

The last thing I remember before everything went black is seeing Hermione's bright smile and listening to her soft voice calling my name.

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_**Would really appreciate your review! Thank you for reading!**_

_**-Z**_


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